Snowboards are known in the art. Conventionally a snowboard comprises a single substantially planar member to which a user's two feet can be mounted such that the user stands sideways to the direction of snowboard travel. Unfortunately such snowboards are rather cumbersome to carry about, being perhaps 5′ in length and too long to pack in many conventional rucksacks. When attempting to turn on a conventional snowboard, the user typically carves into the snow with the downward edge of the snowboard. A typical turning radius for a conventional snowboard is perhaps 15 m, whereas a substantially smaller turning radius would be desirable. While carving with a conventional snowboard results in a turn, the user's speed is substantially reduced, due to the necessity of the carving action. This can be very disadvantageous to the user, especially where a turn must be made on a somewhat flat region of snow. Typically the user loses so much speed in negotiating the turn, that one foot must be taken off the snowboard and used to propel the snowboard, somewhat scoot-fashion, along the flat surface. Further, conventional one-piece rigid snowboards tend to be long (perhaps over 6′) for fast downhill travel, and tend to be short (perhaps 4′ or less) for better maneuverability and for performing tricks. This means a snowboard user must own several snowboards if it is desired to engage in these different snowboarding activities. Understandably it would be advantageous if a single snowboard could somehow better accommodate these different snowboarding activities. Further conventional snowboards are unstable over uneven terrain or when atop obstacles as surface with the terrain is varied, and tend to be unforgiving should the user make an error when attempting to navigate over such terrain. In addition, conventional snowboards are rather unforgiving and stressful to the user's feet and ankles, which are essentially locked into a rigid position on the snowboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,513 to Dickinson (2000) discloses a snowboard comprising first and second overlapping members that are pivoted together such that the members are coplanar but can move relative to each other like the hands on a clock. U.S. Pat No. 6,270,091 to Smith (2001) discloses an articulated two-piece snowboard in which each member has a plurality of downwardly extending ridges that apparently are intended to maintain the snowboard in a straight line of travel. It appears, however, that the leading edges of the two members in Smith '091 need not remain parallel to each other, although the two members appear to be constrained to be coplanar. Further, an imaginary longitudinal axis extending the length of each of the two members is also not maintained parallel in Smith '091. U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,956 to Shannon (1998) discloses an articulated snowboard in which neither the leading edges nor the longitudinal axes of the articulated members are constrained to remain parallel to each other. Planes defined by the two members appear to be coplanar. None of these patents, however, disclose separating and using the two members as emergency snowshoes.
Regardless of how the snowboard is fabricated, it is all too common for the user to sometimes become lost while snowboarding, or become stranded in a relatively flat snow area. It can be extremely fatiguing for the user to try to “scooter” out of the flat area using the snowboard. On the other hand, it can be impossible to move out of the area if the user's two feet are taken off the snowboard.
What is needed is an articulated snowboard that permits a user to negotiate curves without having to use the lower edge(s) of the snowboard to carve into the snow, thus maintaining more of the user's speed. Articulation should be such that at least the longitudinal axis of each of the joined members remain substantially parallel, if not also the leading edge of each of the members. Preferably such articulated snowboard can be separated into two portions that can be used as emergency snowshoes by the user, for example to move out of flat region of snow. Preferably such an articulated snowboard should also be useable as a dirt board and/or skateboard or vehicle using snowboard stance.
The present invention provides such an articulated snowboard.